American Woman
by Roseprincess1
Summary: A close friend of Frankie's shows up to see her. Like her friend this new girl finds that she has a closer link to the transformers than she had ever realized.
1. Default Chapter

American Woman: Prolouge

She was heading out west to see a very old friend of hers. The two of them had met once and had become friends, but times had changed and as they had gotten older both of the young women had fallen out of touch. So it had been almost three years since the two of them had gotten together. She smiled as she leaned against the plane window and thought back. They had been the class odd balls to be sure, neither her nor her friend had ever really seemed to mesh that well with the rest of the world around them.

Some had told them that they marched to a different beat, others had just called them plain old weird. Either way the strangeness they had felt had drawn them closer, and had resulted in something strange developing. Despite the fact that her friend was quiet capable of taking care of her self, she had become protective of her. Almost to the point of being violent on more than one occasion, it had gotten to be so bad. Her friend had never said any thing about any of that, and she's never really commented on it her self. It was just some thing that was between the two of them, and no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't change it. She couldn't change the fact that for some strange reason she felt responsible for Frankie. Not particularly like she needed taking care of, just that it was an imperative to make sure that she was happy for some reason.

It had gotten a lot worse when she learned about her friends nightmares. For some reason that she couldn't fathom, her friend having those dreams pissed her off down deep on the primal level. She knew to the depths of her soul that what ever had caused these dreams deserved a good beating, and if she ever found it, she was the first person in line to administer said ass whupping. Nothing had ever proven to cause it though, no reason had ever been found and she had spent a lot of time resenting the people in Frankie's family for nothing. None of them had been at the root of the problem.

And her friend did have a problem. She had seen it, she'd seen it show up in her eyes on more than one occasion. She was scared, scared of having a relationship, scared of being around people of the opposite sex. Which baffled the girl even more, if Frankie had no reason for these emotions, as every one she had ever talked to said, why did she still have them? The lack of answers bothered her that much more, which resulted in her being that much more protective of her friend. It was pretty much an endless cycle.

Still there had to be something more too it, she thought as she continued to stare out at the clouds. It wasn't as if she didn't have her own fair share of strange dreams. Her's didn't make much more sense than her best friend's. She credited them however, with this burning need she had to protect every one around her, specifically her best friend.

In her own dreams she was there, and she knew horrible things where happening. Happening just beyond something to people that she some how knew and loved at some point. No matter what she did though, there was nothing in her dream that she could do. She was forced to play the part of some one who agreed with the horror that was going on around her. Every day she lived in her dreams, the guilt of what she had done, or rather what she was unable to do, got worse and worse. So much that eventually her dream self snapped. When those she had tried to care for had finally been saved, they had looked at her. Despite what ever looks those she saw at night may have had on their faces, she always saw them as looks of accusation.

That was where her bad dreams always ended. There was more than that she knew, some how though it was locked away in her mind. No matter how she tried to dig it out, she could never quite reach what she was looking for. So like her best friend she lacked a lot of answers.

Now however, all of that was beside the point. She was heading out her to just enjoy her self and be around her friend. She sighed turned back to the cabin, nothing out there in those clouds was going to help her get to Frankie or to find her answers. So she was left to simply wait out the plane ride and wonder what life had in store for all of them.

It was safe to say that, from her point of view, life couldn't get any stranger. That is where she would, for one of the few times in her life, prove to be dead wrong.

Several hundred miles away: Outside the autobot base

Frankie was standing out side the base, but right then she wasn't Frankie any more. Truth be told, she had no idea what she had become or how she had done it. But apparently this had always been there inside of her waiting for some thing to come along and shake it loose. A bad bump on the head from a rouge steering wheel, along with witnessing a fight between Optimus Prime and his brother had been the keys she needed to do just that. To break down the walls to her real mind and apparently her real form as well.

So there she was, wearing this new shape, trying to come to some kind of grips with the images in her mind. There were at least two others like her she knew now. But how she was to go about finding them or bringing them here was any one's guess. She wasn't really sure that she wanted to. The truth and the knowledge of what had gone on in her past life was very hard to bear. It explained a great deal of things though. Why she had trouble sleeping, why she had the dreams of being chased by some thing with red eyes. It explained why she had such a hard time accepting any thing, or trusting any one. It also explained why she had such a hard time making any relationship she had ever tried last. So many mental scars where there, even if the physical ones no longer remained. So much to deal with that there had been times in the last few days that she had almost been over whelmed.

Not to mention that there was an added complication. Axis, the very person who had caused all of this, the monster with the red eyes who had chased her in her dreams for years. Well he was real. He was real, and it seemed that he hadn't given up. He was still horridly jealous of his brother, and he still wanted every thing that his brother had. Once a very long time ago he had tried to take it, to take every thing that he had wanted. He'd failed then. Now apparently he thought he had the power to succeed where he had been stopped the last time.

Frankie, or whoever she was now, desperately hoped that this didn't come true. She hoped that no one would ever have to face that darkness again. Axis all consuming darkness, that swallowed body, soul, and everything else.

So she was making plans to fight him. To some how stop him before he managed to become powerful enough to try what he had failed at again. Even if he did fail once more, the price to be paid was to much. His price was one of, flesh and blood and he wouldn't stop until he was destroyed.

That's what had to happen this time, there could be no mercy. It was clear to her that the mercy he had been given the last time had no effect on him. Being shown the better angels of those around him had not caused him to see the error of his ways, and change. No all it had done was prove to him that those around him were fools. So he had to be stopped before he had a chance to harm any one else.

Frankie, Or Ariel, as she had learned her name on cybertron had been, realized that she seemed more than a bit blood thirsty over this. But to her, to some one who had seen his evil first hand, that was the way it had to be. There was no room to reason with him, no way to show him that he was wrong. No this time he had to die. She was going to see to it personally, even if that meant loosing what small bit of humanity remained in her.


	2. American Woman: Part 1

American Woman: Part 1

Alexis was waiting outside of the school for her teacher to show up. It had been nearly a week since every one had learned that Ms. B their social studies teacher was actually some kind of reincarnated autobot. The girl was still in shock a bit that her teacher, no her friend, had something like that placed on her shoulders, and she was more than worried about her. The changes in the older woman had been painfully obvious at first. For about two days she hadn't been in school but had managed to collect her self and come back to teach. It was like though, a different person was teaching the class now.

Her love of being a teacher was still there, and her passion for the subject was still plain. There was though a haunted look to her face, like she was fighting with personal demons. Things in her mind that had grabbed hold of her and weren't letting go. All of the guys seemed to be too scared to try and say anything to her. Either they didn't want to make the teacher turned autobot mad, or they didn't want to offend Optimus by sticking their noses where they didn't belong. Alexis though, had marched right up to the leader and asked him if there was anything she could do to help. The conversation was still fresh in her mind from the night before.

"Help," Prime had looked down at her, "I'm sorry Alexis, I'm not sure what you mean?"

"I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to make Ms. B feel better. She seems so sad since She…" She had trailed off not really knowing how to finish.

"Oh I see what you mean now." The leader nodded, "If you want to know what you can really do to help her, the best thing would be to just be her friend Alexis. What she needs right now is something that I'm afraid I can't give her."

"I want to do something for her," She said again, "She was so nice to me when we first met. She's such a good person, I don't like seeing her so sad."

"I know, I don't either," He had looked away from her for a moment, "Frankie has some… memories in her mind now that I imagine are making her unhappy. She can't get rid of them, but maybe if she had some one to talk to…"  
"I understand, I promise I'll do my best to be there for her Optimus. She might be older than me but I think …" She had stopped again and looked up at the leader.

That's probably what had bothered her the most, what had compelled her to not wait for her friend, and teacher to come to her. When she had looked up at Prime, there was a pleading look in his eyes. Alexis could see that he wanted to help this woman that he loved but had no idea how. So, she was now here waiting for the teacher to show up and come talk to her, weather she wanted to or not.

Frankie finally appeared at the door to the school and came out. She had her glasses off and was wiping at her face like she'd been crying. She shut the door behind her and set the glasses back on her face, then made her way down. Alexis stood up off the bottom step and turned to face her.

"Ms. B?"

"Hey Lex' what are you doing out here all alone? Where are the guys?" The teacher did her best to put up a cheerful face for the girl.

"They went on to the base, I stayed. I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, well I can't really talk now. My friend is coming into town tonight and I have to go pick her up." She started to walk off and something clicked in her head. She turned back around and faced Alexis. "Hey why don't you come with me to the airport? I've told Danni about my best student. I bet she'd love to meet you."

"You sure Ms.B? I don't want to intrude on you and your friend."  
The teacher smiled at her, a real smile for a change, "You're not intruding Alexis, and in fact nothing would make me happier if I could introduce one of my best friends to another one."

That took a second to click with the girl, "What you mean me?"

"Of course I mean you," Frankie smiled again, "And Alexis, would you do me one quick favor?"

"Sure thing Ms. B." The younger girl beamed up at her.

"Would you please stop calling me "Ms. B.?" From now on you can just call me Frankie. Like all of my friends."

The girl smiled up at her teacher and headed over into her truck. Neither of them right then were really paying that much attention to another car that was down the parking lot from them. A black sports car with a strange slash on the hood, which sat there watching them as they drove off. Then crackled his communicator to life and reported in to his commander.

"Sir?"

"What is it Wheeljack?" the deep voice on the other end replied.

"Sir, the human woman you've been having me watch just took off some where with the human Alexis. Should I continue to follow the two of them?"

"Very good, I'm most interested in seeing who this girl is going to meet today. Once she has retrieved her friend, return here with your surveillance tapes."

"Yes sir," Wheeljack paused for a second and then mentally shrugged and asked, "Sir, if you don't mind telling me, why are you so interested in these human females all of a sudden?"  
There was a very long silence on the other end of the communications line and then the decepticon leader spoke, "Let's just say the woman is connected to something that may affect me. I wish to see if it's true."

"Very well sir, I'll continue to follow her then."

"You do that Wheeljack." The commander told him and broke the connection.

The black and red sports car sat there for a moment longer and then pulled out to follow Frankie and Alexis.

About twenty minutes later the two girls made it to the airport and stood there waiting. Alexis was looking out the window at the plane when she heard her teacher friend give an interesting excited little squeak and then head down the hallway. A few seconds later she returned grinning with another woman in tow. The other woman couldn't have been more opposite of Frankie if someone had created them to be that way on purpose. She allowed her self to be dragged down the hall and then grinned as Frankie turned and presented her to Alexis.

"Lex' this is one of my best friends in the whole world, Danika Romanji." She grinned and then turned back to the other woman, "Danni this is my best student and another good friend Alexis."

Danni grinned and held out her hand to Alexis, "Hey there kiddo, nice to know that someone out here has managed to thaw the ice princess!"

"It's really great to meet you Ms. Romanji, Ms. B… uhh... Frankie has been telling me all about you while we were waiting."

The other woman tossed her head back and laughed, "Really?" She turned and then looked at Frankie, "Who are you and where is my friend?"

Frankie responded by looking horrified for a second and then blushing, "I'm not that shy Danni!"

"Well you must not be any more since this smart kiddo here has managed to get on a first name basis with you."

"You get a real kick out of teasing me don't you?" Frankie mock frowned at her friend.

"Well for one thing, I'm and artist and you are a Poli-sci professor, it's my job to annoy you. Second it's a best friend's prerogative to drive you nuts!" Danni grinned and then motioned to the baggage claim. "Well come on you two, you can tell me about this weird western town while we collect my bags and then I can buy you two dinner at the nearest Chinese buffet!"

"Oh!" Alexis grinned, "I've always wanted to go to one of those!"

Danni smiled more and lead each of the two other girls away with an arm around their shoulders, "Hehe I can tell I'm gonna like you a lot kiddo! Come on."

Wheeljack sat in the parking lot and watched the three girls head out to Frankie's truck and then take off. Danni was still talking a mile a minute and by this point had the other two going about the same rate as her. He made sure to get good shots of all three of them and then head back to the base.

He wasn't going to question what his leader wanted with all of this information but it wasn't his job to question things like that. Still there was something in the air, and something about those three women, specifically the teacher. Just once during the whole time he had been watching them at the air port he had thought they had caught on. The woman had turned and looked right at him, a corner of her mouth had tilted up slightly and she had gone back to watching her friend. There was more going on here than just simple surveillance, Wheeljack headed back to the moon base hoping that some time the answers would be forth coming.


	3. American Woman: Part 2

American Woman: Part 2

The girls enjoyed dinner and spent the evening with Danni getting to know Frankie again as well as getting to know Alexis for the first time. It was a great deal of fun and Alexis had to admit that seeing the smile on Frankie's face again made it seem like maybe some how, life could get back to normal. Finally they finished dinner and dropped the younger girl off then headed back to the apartment. Danni watched her friend drive for a few seconds in silence then commented.

"Okay so tell me what's bothering you?" She demanded

"First off, how did you know something was bothering me?"

"Frankie, don't be dumb. I've been able to tell when something was wrong with you from almost the day that you and I met, now come on out with it? Did some guy out here break your heart? Tell me, I'll go break his kneecaps!"

Frankie broke into a small laugh, "No, I have in fact found a guy out here. NO he didn't break my heart; in fact he's probably the most wonderful guy I've ever met."

"Okay then, so you got a great job, you have a new friend, and you have the guy that you've always wanted," Danni ticked off, "So tell me why you look like someone tore your heart out and stomped on it?"

Frankie sighed, "I wish it were that simple to tell you Danni. I wish that I could spill everything that I've learned in the last couple of weeks to you. The problem is, even IF I told you I don't think you'd believe me."

"Well look, unless your dating Charles Manson or someone, I don't think id find it that hard to believe."

"Well…" Frankie trailed off.

Danni shook her head for a moment and then looked up glancing out in the rear view mirror. What she saw not too far off from them was a set of headlights, the kind you'd see on a very large truck, barreling down on them.

"FRANKIE!" She yelled and pointed.

The girl who was driving took a quick glance into the mirror and then looked back over her shoulder.

"OH SLAG it's _HIM!_" then preceded to floor board it and took off down the road in her truck.

"YOU KNOW that nut bar back there!" Danni demanded as the other girl tore off out of town.

"Yah I know him. He's …. After me," she told her friend.

Danni suddenly looked at the other girl and took into account how completely and utterly flat her voice had gone right then. It was as if someone took all of the emotion that had been coloring her a few seconds later and pulled it out of her. Her face had gone completely white and something some how had changed about her eyes. Danni watched as she put the truck into another gear and continued trying to get away from the maniac who had decided to chase them down a deserted California highway.

Danni kept hanging on and staring at the strange person her friend had become when the black semi that was after them finally caught them. It was a lot bigger than Frankie's truck, and from the looks of it was going about ten times as fast. So when it smacked into the back bumper and Frankie jerked her wheel in response, her truck went fishtailing into the dusty ground on either side of the road and finally spinning to a complete stop.

Frankie glared in the direction of the thing that had now vanished with a look that said she was ready to kill something. Danni was still holding on to the dashboard trying to guess what had happened and why this person was trying to kill them.

"Danika," She said in a voice that make her friend freeze, "Whatever happens, what ever you see, I want you to stay in this truck do you hear me?"  
"What do you mean?" Danni gasped, "Look I know you're a good shot Frankie but you can't…"  
"DANNI Just stay in the dammed truck!" She ordered and the proceeded to get out, flip the locks on and wait there in the middle of the dark desert for this thing to come back.

Danni for her part realized that some how the locks were fastened and started pounding on the door, demanding that her friend either get back in the car, or that she let her out.

"DON'T you do this Frankie! You can't fight that person! FRANKIE! HE'LL KILL YOU! PLEASE!" She continued to wail at the other girl through the glass, "FRANKIE PLEASE! Please get back in here!"

"Danni," She turned and looked back at her for a second, "I'm sorry but this time. You can't protect me."

Danni looked up off down that road and saw that the black truck from before was approaching again. It pulled off the road and began barreling straight at her friend, who just kept on standing there with a look on her face that spoke volumes. Something that Danni had never seen a very strange combination of hate, and a desire for revenge. That was enough to shock her out of her hysterics for a moment. In all of the years that Danni had known this girl, she had been the one that never held grudges. Frankie had been the one to more than once, force Danni to let something go. That holding on to any kind of bloodlust, no matter how minor, would only lead to pain and suffering on both sides. Yet there she stood standing in the dust of the desert, looking at this thing that could kill her with one try, wanting nothing more than to see it destroyed.

Danni kept on gaping over that and then she was giving some else entirely to freak over. As she stood there and watched her friend changed some how. It wasn't any thing like she had ever seen any where else, or that she as an artist had ever envisioned. Just one second there stood Fankie, and in the next something else was in her place. Something that looked like her friend but was wholly mechanical. Despite that it was still something that managed to some how make clear the point that it was indeed alive.

She was alive and she had every intention of standing her ground against this thing that was now coming to harm her and her friend. The black truck that had been charging came to a stop about three feet from the thing that her friend was now and then changed. Somehow unfolding and becoming something that was like the being Frankie now was, but different. More… masculine.

"Hello Axis," Danni heard her friend growl "Is there a reason you're following me?"

"You know why I keep following you Ariel," Some how despite his covered face the thing sneered looked down and stared into the truck. "I see you have your friend with you, is she one of you?"

"That's something that you're never going to know. Now leave, unless you want me to kill you."

"Hehe your nothing like the girl I remember Ariel," He laughed softly.

"You saw to that didn't you?" She asked.

"I've seen a great deal of things," His expression changed from mocking her to something else Danni couldn't quite place.

"You are a monster plain and simple, and if you give me a reason to end that miserable excuse for a life you have Axis, don't think I won't."

"I know you'd love to kill me," He folded his arms and turned away from her for a second, "I also know what kind of weakness you have."

With that he turned again and looked down at the truck that was holding Danni. Danni her self had about two seconds to register what was going to happen when something of the black being connected with the truck and it went flying. That last thing Danni heard before her own head smacked into the side of the vehicle was the thing that her friend had become screaming her name.

(AN: Sorry about the flub.. GRRS. CHEEP A word processor!)


End file.
